At age 15, I wanted a tattoo. Being in high school and having no job (or money), the thought of paying hundreds of dollars for a piece seemed outrageous – little did I know. So I knew a friend who had a friend who did tattoos out of his room. As has been heard thousands of times from the dawn of time, `it seemed like a good idea at the time.`
The color has faded at least 50% or more from 1989 till now. It was bumpy and raised on and off for the first few years, which it`s not anymore.
It`s a total f-in disaster and I`m more than happy to admit it`s one of the all time worst tattoos I`ve ever seen.
Of course I want to get a cover-up tattoo over it – that`s the quick and simple response. But I have a question or two – more like worries or concerns – that I`m hoping someone can help address.
A handful of years after getting the tattoo, I would get an occasional pimple on the tattoo. A few years past that, I started to develop keratosis pillars on both my arms. I try to leave it be, but I`m a squeezer by nature.
What I noticed with this tattoo, is that if I had a pimple or a kp bump (almost same as a pimple) on it, and I squeezed it, the skin would have a hole or opening where the guck came out and then I could see the darker, black ink.
I would image to begin with , the dude who did this tattoo certainly did not go deep enough because of the faded state of this tattoo. But I`m still going to image that even if not deep enough, it`s still a few layers below the surface, yes?
My fear is that because something like squeezing a pimple seems to tear my skin so easily, would going over it during a cover-up rip it to shreds? Maybe I`m just being paranoid. It just makes me feel like it`s literally just below my top skin layer and any such action with a tattoo gun will turn it into a mess.
I want to cover it up. I know I need to leave it alone and don`t squeeze it if something is there. I know I will have to deal with the skin texture, if there is any scarring on the site. But my fears about the skin ripping apart or the ink being to slice to the surface…is it true or paranoia???
Well pimples form above the ink and no, the ink isn’t just going to pour our or anything if you get it covered up. Pick someone skilled in cover-ups and not simply a decent artist who has done few (or any) cover-ups. They’re an entirely different animal than a tattoo on a blank piece of skin. FYI, the pimples aren’t at all unusual. My wife and I both get them on the tats we got from Shane O’Neill (B&G) and I also get them on the tat I got from Luca Natalini (color). Popping them won’t do any harm, but I wouldn’t recommend jabbing them with a knife or anything. 😀
When I’m not logged in, I don’t see my photos in my post. When I’m logged in, they are there.
Anyway, what I’m really getting at with my post is if I’m just being paranoid about the tattoo seeming like its just below the surface or extra easy to rip into my skin. If it’s even a possibility in the history or tattooing or just my paranoia.
I obviously plan to cover it. It’s a disgrace…ha.
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